I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 454: The Strength of Short-Lived Species

Facing the contemptuous sneer of the Green Dragon Queen Aetherass, Erich Xavier’s face remained as calm as still water.Compared to the regret that had tormented him for over a hundred years, this trivial verbal attack was nothing at all.

He had envisioned this moment in his mind for far too long.

Fortunately, just as his body could barely maintain the peak of its final functions, she had given him this opportunity—

No, he should say that heaven had granted him this chance.

In the last war, the Spellweaver belonged to all the soldiers, adventurers, and civilians of Coldjade Province. But now, Erich Xavier was acting entirely on his own will.

Today, he had come for one purpose alone: to kill this evil dragon who had taken his beloved family. Regardless of success or failure, he was willing to sacrifice his life for it.

Aetherass, as if sensing the resolve beneath his calm demeanor, slowly let her expression harden.

Though she was arrogant, she could still recognize what kind of enemy was the most fearsome.

Her words just now had been meant to provoke him, to make Erich Xavier recall his painfully deceased family. In the upcoming battle, any fluctuation in his emotions might lead him to take irrational actions.

But she had miscalculated. From beginning to end, aside from the complex emotions he had shown when he first laid eyes on her, Erich Xavier displayed no other feelings.

He was like a ghost that had wandered the world for over a century, clinging to a single obsession, refusing to dissipate.

Though she became fully alert, it wasn’t as if the Green Dragon Queen was truly terrified of being targeted by such a formidable enemy.

She was no longer what she had been a hundred years ago. She had broken through to a new stage.

Moreover, during the latter part of the war a century ago, when the two had clashed one-on-one, it had been she who held the advantage.

He had only been able to contend with her by relying on the power of his family’s inherited relic. And after that relic shattered in the later stages, she had gravely wounded him on the spot. If it hadn’t been for a human Epic powerhouse who had rushed back from other borderlands to help, Erich Xavier would have died long ago.

He was nothing more than a defeated opponent.

The Green Dragon Queen was confident that if she could suppress him a hundred years ago, then a hundred years later, the gap in their strength would only have grown wider.

After all, few races could keep pace with a talent-blessed, long-lived dragon over such a span of time.

In the last war, the Spellweaver Erich Xavier had been at his peak. Then, wounded severely by her poison that seeped deep into his bones, it was already a miracle that he had managed to survive until now.

As for the possibility that his strength had remained at its peak, or that he had even advanced further like her—that was simply impossible.

She narrowed her eyes. Even from such a great distance, she could sense from Erich Xavier the lingering curse of that deadly poison she had inflicted a hundred years ago—a curse that could never be lifted.

That proved that her curse had tormented him for a full hundred years.

After all, that curse was aimed directly at his Professional Path.

Unless he was willing to give up his power, the curse could never be dispelled.

That curse had cost her a portion of her origin dragon force, and it had taken the Green Dragon Queen Aetherass a full decade to recover.

Otherwise, she would have advanced to her current level even sooner.

Aetherass had no regrets about that. Ten years of dormancy was brief for a True Dragon, and it had allowed her to absorb more bloodline inheritance.

"Since that's the case, I'll send you to reunite with your wife and children."

Aetherass spread her wings with a single flap, and instantly the vast, jade-green sea of clouds began to churn.

A majestic power surged forth from her colossal body.

Behind her, a dragon phantom stretching over a kilometer began to slowly take shape.

This was the Green Dragon Queen Aetherass's Epic Domain, [Emerald Kingdom]. A hundred years ago, its range had been within a three-kilometer radius, but now it had exploded to a five-kilometer radius—a massive increase of several times over.

A heart-stopping toxin began to spread rapidly from her as its starting point.

"Boom!"

Within several kilometers, any living creature suddenly exploded, turning into a mist of blood that bloomed in the air.

Even those outside the Domain's range, relatively close by, monsters and humans alike clutched their hearts in unison.

A suffocating, oppressive sensation gripped their hearts.

Fortunately, after gasping for breath, they barely managed to shake off that terrifying shock.

The weak were utterly powerless before the strong. Even before the latter had officially made a move, the sheer aura radiating beyond the attack range was enough to leave ordinary creatures dazed and disoriented.

This was also why Barry hadn't concentrated large numbers of soldiers and adventurers in one place—they would be too easily wiped out by the Green Dragon Queen and her capable generals in a single sweep.

Of course, the same held true for the Green Dragon Army. They, too, had to fear humanity's magic cannons and professional powerhouses.

It was a kind of strategic deterrence, forcing large armies to adapt—either by dispersing their forces or consolidating their formation's strength.

High in the sky, the Spellweaver Erich Xavier stood within the Green Dragon's Epic Domain without changing his expression.

After all, he was an Epic-level spellcaster. He wouldn't be taken down by the Green Dragon's passive damage.

A Domain's effects were comprehensive. When used to crush lower-level targets, it could quickly clear the battlefield, killing large numbers of low-level creatures or forcing them to lose combat capability and collapse, leaving only those strong enough to resist.

But when used against an opponent of similar strength, it became a contest of their respective Domains' enhancements.

Different Domains had different focuses—some involved special rules, some were enhancement types that boosted corresponding abilities or physical strength, and there were also elemental types, curse types, and so on...

As for the Green Dragon's [Emerald Kingdom], its three publicly known effects—Life Drain, Plant Animation, and Toxic Spores—were actually just passives used to crush and clear enemies. Its true core effect was Deception.

Of course, this kind of deception wasn't about confusing the opponent through behavior or words.

It was a more fundamental power: as long as the target paid attention to her—whether through sight, hearing, mental awareness, or any other means—the Green Dragon could impose specific, ultra-long-range effects on them.

Under this influence, the target's consciousness, body, and even the source of their power would all be affected, resulting in chaotic and disoriented effects.

For example, hallucinations and auditory delusions, a mage's spells failing, a warrior's strength draining away—all were the result of the target's power source and body being deceived, briefly betraying their owner.

Moreover, the longer the battle with Aetherass continued, the broader and deeper this deceptive effect would become, until the target completely lost the ability to resist.

Erich Xavier had personally experienced the troublesome nature of this Domain in the last war. It wasn't something that could be avoided by sheer willpower alone.

Even if he realized that his power and body were spiraling out of control, as long as the battle continued, he would inevitably keep being affected. The effect would only deepen, eventually plunging him into the abyss of uncontrollable chaos.

Last time, relying on his family's inherited relic, the Thousand Silk Web, he had woven a protective net around his body, resisting the effect of her deceptive Domain. Then, using his own Domain, [Gushing Spring], to amplify the power of his spells, he had barely managed to contend with her on the front lines. It was as if, by wielding an extra Domain power, he had managed to fight her to a near standstill for a short time.

But now, he no longer had the Thousand Silk Web. And the Green Dragon Aetherass, a hundred years later, had achieved a full breakthrough in strength. Their power levels were no longer on the same plane.

It seemed so. It should have been so.

But the corner of Erich Xavier's mouth curled into a smile.

Far away, the Green Dragon Aetherass's once-confident expression suddenly shifted. For a brief moment, confusion and shock appeared on her face.

Her deception had failed to capture its target.

She couldn't exert any influence on Erich Xavier?

How was that possible?

Her Domain had grown stronger, and he had lost the protection of that special relic.

Just as Aetherass was trapped in confusion, Erich Xavier released his own Epic Domain, which had been lying dormant until now.

A power, both familiar and foreign to the Green Dragon, began to emanate from his aged, decaying body.

Aetherass's dragon pupils contracted sharply.

As an old rival, she certainly wouldn't forget the aura of the Spellweaver's Domain—after all, a hundred years hadn't passed by that much for her.

Unlike the pure, powerful amplification Domain of the past, this strange Domain felt eerie yet familiar to her.

It seemed to have countless connections to her [Emerald Kingdom], yet upon closer inspection, it was filled with a contradictory feeling that was completely opposite.

"Surprised?"

Erich Xavier shook his head.

He had little desire to explain.

Explaining one's abilities to an enemy was the stupidest thing to do.

Even if she might grasp something from sensing it, it would still make her more wary and cautious.

Over the years, he had hidden his identity, even faked his death—not that he had been idle.

He was not as strong as the Green Dragon, and at any foreseeable point in time, he never would be. This seemed like an established fact.

But he wouldn't let his hatred blind him into underestimating her strength. On the contrary, if he truly intended to kill her, he had to magnify her threat as much as possible, using all his mental energy, effort, cunning, and time to find that nearly nonexistent possibility of victory.

And this was his answer.

The Reverse Domain. He had abandoned his once-proud, specialized mage Domain. Enduring the constant, excruciating pain, using the Dragon's Curse deeply rooted in his professional source as a guide, he had researched a reverse Domain tailored against her power.

It could be said that this Domain was like a physician prescribing a specific remedy for a particular disease—an extremely obsessive approach.

Now, most of his power could only be used when facing this evil dragon. Against any other Epic-level opponent, it would be greatly diminished.

Erich Xavier's Reverse Emerald spread rapidly.

This power infected Aetherass's powerful and vast [Emerald Kingdom] like a toxin.

The Green Dragon Queen's expression changed. She felt as if her independent Domain had been violated. An unknown "toxin" was rapidly spreading through it.

Everything seemed to be slipping out of her control.

Sensing the aura on Erich Xavier, she finally realized what was happening.

A flash of regret flickered across her majestic dragon face.

She guessed how he had come to possess such an almost unreasonable power specifically tailored against her.

Normally, invading a Domain like this was nearly impossible. Everyone's Domain originated from their own source of power, making them completely different from one another.

One might be able to crush and shatter another's Domain, but a method that invaded, consumed, and intertwined them, mixing hers with his, was simply beyond common sense.

But the curse she had left on his body had become the perfect teacher.

Though she didn't know how much effort he had expended, the result seemed to be that the curse hadn't killed him. Instead, it had allowed the Spellweaver to break through by destroying the old, creating a Domain power that shared the same origin but was fundamentally different.

At this moment, she admitted that she had underestimated the power of hatred in human emotions.

Perhaps it was because short-lived species had such limited lifespans that they could create more possibilities within their finite time.

In the sky, the two immense Domain powers became entangled.

On the ground, the war situation was also escalating toward its climax.

Taking advantage of the moment when the magic cannons were destroyed or still cooling down, the Green Dragon Army began to press forward in force.

Countless troops, large and small, surged toward the city walls from all directions.

Matthias Monroe, the Guild Master of the Barry Adventurers Guild, withdrew his gaze from the clouds.

For now, all he could do was trust in the strength of his predecessors.

"Woooooom!!!"

An invisible ultrasonic wave swept across the battlefield ahead.

Blood spurted like fountains from the ears of the human soldiers and adventurers caught in the wave. Not long after, their faces turned pale, and they collapsed limply to the ground.

Seeing this, Monroe directed others to tend to the wounded, while he himself leaped into the air with the help of a perfectly timed counterforce.

He vaulted toward the massive bat hovering in the air beyond the city wall.

The Rotwing Drake.

The Green Dragon Queen's vanguard general.

A draconic bat-type monster, a subspecies of dragon. It was on the same level as him—both standing at the pinnacle of Transcendent beings.

Such an opponent couldn't be left to attack freely. If so, the defensive forces on the surrounding walls would be slaughtered in no time.

"Beast! Die!"

Monroe roared as he leaped high.

In his hands, a heavy staff had appeared, seemingly from nowhere.

At the end of the staff, a blinding holy light was released.

If it struck, even the mighty Rotwing Drake would suffer severe injuries.

Forced to act, the Rotwing Drake had to interrupt its ongoing sonic attack and nimbly veered to one side.

But Monroe, aided by his Fly spell, gave chase without relenting.

His flamboyant and aggressive posture was also meant to boost the morale of the defending forces.

The Rotwing Drake's long-range ultrasonic attack had just killed or wounded many.

On a section of the city wall beneath Monroe, Aria and the others glanced up at their Guild Master's battle situation before looking away. They operated the large bolt cannons mounted on the wall, firing at the massive beasts charging across the plain below.

But they couldn't help thinking of Gauss.

Gauss had already been gone for a week.

They wondered how he was doing now.

Here, they were still well-equipped with soldiers, many adventurers, and professional powerhouses, holding the advantage of terrain and magic cannons. But Gauss had ventured deep into enemy territory alone. They had no idea if he had encountered any danger.

For now, the only thing they could do for him was to pray that everything was going smoothly.

Meanwhile, deep within the distant Emerald Forest, in a damp, sunless cavern, Hephaestus was curled up, shielding Gauss in the open space formed by his body.

Gauss had fallen unconscious shortly after leaving the Dragon Lair.

Fortunately, after gaining intelligence, Hephaestus wasn't too foolish. He continued following Gauss's orders, flying deeper into the forest. Before the pursuing forces could catch up, he found a large river and plunged into it, completely concealing his aura.

This cavern was one he had discovered after swimming underwater for a long time—a hidden cave in a special underground river.

Hephaestus slightly opened his eyes and glanced at Gauss, who was protected in his embrace.

"Master, when will you wake up?"